Dems push the DREAM Act and use passage as a carrot for entitlement reform

Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D) encouraged Republicans to consider passage of the DREAM Act as a good faith down payment on immigration reform; one that could lead Democrats towards meaningful entitlement reform he said.

Durbin told Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) on Fox Sunday News program that if the GOP passed the DREAM Act, Democrats would be more willing to talk about reducing the country’s spending habit. In other words, Republicans would give amnesty to illegal aliens in exchange Democrats would go along with some spending cuts. The stuff smoked-filled back rooms are made of.

The reintroduction of the DREAM Act comes after the President made a trip to the Texas/Mexico border last week and berated Republicans for moving the goal post and needing a moat with alligators in order to move forward with comprehensive immigration reform.

Republicans argue that Obama’s idea of immigration reform is nothing more than amnesty and future Democratic voters. Republican lawmakers on the Hill predict the bill will go nowhere because the Congress must focus on increasing the country’s deficit, passing a 2012 budget as well as implementing meaningful cuts to reduce the nation’s ballooning $14 trillion deficit.

However, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, that would grant millions of illegal immigrants in the country amnesty is a dream that never dies for those on the left. The Democrats simplistic plan says that offering illegal children a college education or the option to join the military as a means to join the legal immigration ranks will be an economic boom for the U.S.

Others, like Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) disagree.

“It (the DREAM Act) grants illegal aliens ‘conditional’ permanent resident status upon the receipt of a high school diploma, or simply enrolling in a college program or the military grants aliens normal LPR status (green cards) upon finishing two years of college or service in the military—requirements the Obama Administration can waive. It also authorizes states to give illegal aliens in-state tuition so that your tax dollars will openly be subsidizing illegal immigration; and it makes newly amnestied aliens eligible for numerous taxpayer-funded student loan programs,” FAIR contends.

Some states, including in Illinois and California, have already passed initiatives to help illegal young people to finance college. Both these states are facing billion dollar deficits because a large part of their population resides in the country illegally. They also have well-paid education employees.

According to the San Diego Tribune, “The average district teacher receives more than $64,000 a year, 27 percent more that the median salary in San Diego County, and gets 16 weeks of paid time off. This teacher also gets a 10 percent annual contribution to retirement from the district and state; automatic raises based on years on the job and for additional education; and pays nothing for health insurance, including for his or her dependents, with just $10 medical co-pays. Teachers also get tenure after only two years of employment, with a cursory employment review every five years.”
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Programs to assist Latinos in college already exist

The CA Political News reported that, “The federally funded College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), thrives at the California State Universities as well as across the country. CAMP describes itself as ‘a supportive service program that provides recruitment, academic, personal, career, cultural, leadership and retention services.’”

The program is only open to potential university students whose parents have worked in agriculture for at least 75 days during the past two years.

“Why are these kids more worthy of solicitude than, say, children of factory workers? Because farm workers are mostly Mexican, of course,” CA Political News post says.

They contend that programs like CAMP ensure that universities increase its Hispanic student population, and provide statistical proof that “social justice” is practiced on college campuses.

“This obsession with ethnic and racial diversity perverts the traditional idea of a liberal education and aggressively pursuing a superficial diversity of skin tones or surnames means lowering admission and evaluation standards in order to achieve the desired ethnic and racial mix,” City Journal’s Bruce Thornton said. “Hence the CAMP program offers its clients ‘academic’ and ‘retention’ services, which shepherd the underprepared through their courses to graduation.”

DREAMs future

During the lame duck session last year, five Senate Democrats voted against the DREAM Act and there is no guarantee that they will flip their vote if the legislation makes its way through Congress.

The DREAM Act died last December by a vote of 55-41 and many lawmakers on either side of the aisle say they won’t tackle the divisive amnesty issue during the 2012 election cycle.

Durbin says, “We're not giving up," on the DREAM Act. "We should not punish children for the actions of their parents. That isn't what the American people want us to do. It isn't the American way."

Just like the movie Friday the 13th and its endless sequels, the DREAM act seems to be one of those pieces of legislation that is taken off the shelf, dusted off and put in front of lawmakers when pandering to Latinos reaches a boiling point.

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© Copyright 2011 Kimberly Dvorak All Rights Reserved.

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